A Kind Of Blessing
by InkWeaverabc
Summary: I thought Annabeth should have found out about what Athena told Percy, so I wrote this. Athena cames to see Annabeth, and they talk. oneshot. Athena is probably ooc, you have been warned. Post-TLO, CONTAINS SPOILERS!


**A.N. This is just something that occurred to me after I had finished the Last Olympian. This story is dedicated to my sister, who helped me to write this and told what was bad in it and did some of the typing, and was just generally awesome!**

It must have been about a week after Olympus had been saved, Percy had turned down immortality and Rachel had become the new Oracle of Delphi that Mum came to visit me on the hill overlooking the sea by camp half-blood.

The moon was out, and the stars were beginning to appear in the sky as dinner finished, and I made my unhurried way up the hill, away from the dining area. It was quiet up here, away from the cabins, and I relished the opportunity to just be alone and think. There was, after all, plenty to think about. I still hadn't quite worked out the angle for the dome on the planned shrine of Artemis on the lower slopes of Olympus…

Think about the job I was undertaking made me think about my mum.

I hadn't seen her since the Olympian council, and I hadn't talked to her then, not really. I still hadn't thanked her properly for the amazing chance she'd given me. And I suspected that she would have had to argue quite hard to get some of the other Gods to agree—not least Hera.

Suddenly, as if I'd somehow summoned her by my thoughts, Mother was standing in front of on the hillside. I scrambled to my feet. "Mother?" I gave a little bow. She smiled and held out her arms.

As we hugged, I'm ashamed to say my first thought was _Oh, no! What is she going to say to me? Has she come to tell me off about Percy? _

See, my mom doesn't like Percy very much, mainly because of his dad, I think, and also because he has a tendency to rush into things without thinking, which to my mother is unforgivable, practically. I was worried she'd say something like 'Annabeth. I want you to dump that son of Poseidon that you've been running around with recently.' Except she probably wouldn't say 'dump' Being the Greek Goddess of wisdom and all, she doesn't do slang.

She pushed me away from her, and held me at arms length, her hands on my shoulders, and looked intently at my face.

"Well done, my daughter." She said gravely. "I am proud of you."

What do you say to that? I just stood there, my cheeks a little red. Then I suddenly remembered Olympus.

"Thank you!" I blurted. "For you know, everything!"

She nodded as if my thanks were just what she had expected and felt they were her due, which they probably were. "You have done well." She said quietly. "It was only right that you should have been rewarded."

She stared into my eyes again, while my cheeks grew steadily redder. When ever she looks at me like that, I feel like all my secrets are written all over my face for her to read.

"You have been busy this week I see." She said abruptly.

"Oh well..." I managed at last. "Lots to do," I could tell my tone wasn't fooling her at all. "I still haven't thought where to put Apollo's statue yet…" My voice trailed off. She raised an eyebrow, but then gave a little sigh.

"You really love him don't you." It wasn't a question, but I nodded mutely. It was true. I do love him, and I didn't need to ask who she meant, either. The week since I became his girlfriend had been one of the happiest of my life.

She nodded. "You know why he turned down God-hood, don't you?"

"Oh…" I tried again. "Oh… various reasons! You heard him didn't you…? He had his whole life ahead of him and... stuff." I finished rather lamely. She smiled a little, knowing smile, and then stepped back. "Are you going so soon, mother?"

She nodded once, a little regretfully, I thought.

"There is a lot to be done on Olympus." Then she put an arm round me and said quietly, "About this boyfriend of yours then…" I stiffened slightly, but I wasn't really worried now. My mother's not one for beating about the bush, and I thought if she was going to forbid me to ever see Percy again or something, she'd have done it by now.

"Don't tell him this but… A boy who will give up God-hood for you—That's a boy worth hanging on to." My mouth dropped open. I couldn't help it. She gave me a little smile, stepped back and raised a hand.

I glanced away, shielding my eyes. There was a flash of light and when I looked up, she was gone, leaving nothing but a flattened patch of grass and the smell of lavender, which was quickly gone, blown away by the breeze.

I felt absolutely dumfounded. Bemused. Astonished. As if one of the party ponies had shot me in the head with a boxing-glove arrow. I just stared at the place where she had been standing, in a kind of daze. I was still standing there I don't know how long later, when a hand touched my arm.

I jumped and spun round, but it was just Percy. He smiled at me, but then frowned, looking at my expression. "Are you alright, Annabeth? You look a little weird."

I sat down rather abruptly, and he crouched down next to me, still looking at me with concern. He's really cute when looks like that, but of course I didn't tell him this.

My face broke into a huge grin, so it felt like my face was going to split along my jaw line.

"Oh yes." I said. "I feel fine. I feel great."

"Ok" he said, still looking a bit puzzled, but he sat down next to me and put his arm round my shoulders. I leaned my head on his shoulder and leaned his on my head.

"Percy?" I said quietly after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you turn down God-hood?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, various reasons…"

I grinned in the darkness. "That's what I said, too"

**Finis**

**A.N. Now review, please, but don't gripe about Athena being ooc, I know she is, and I can't do anything about it. I said she would be in the summary, didn't I?**


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